Chapter 483

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After Sirius's group arrived the conversation became even more lively, with mine, Harry's and Fleur's families talking and having fun together, as if they were all old friends.

And it was even a little impressive how easily Fleur's parents got used to us, even with all our peculiarities and weirdness, and even more impressive was how quickly they became friends with everyone.

Mr. Delacour easily managed to engage in conversation with the other adult men in the group, showing that he was quite approachable and a great speaker, something he must have developed thanks to his work as a politician.

And Mrs. Delacour, or Apolline as she asked to be called, didn't even have to make an effort to form a friendship with my mom, Penny and Andy.

As soon as Apolline thought of starting a conversation with them, the three adult women immediately pulled her into their group, and then as if they were close friends who had known each other for a long time, the four of them began to chat, gossip and laugh.

And at some point even Krum's mother and him joined us, making the large group that was in the room even larger.

Of course, Krum didn't seem too pleased about having to participate in the conversations, especially since Harry and I were nearby, but he held his tongue and lessened his frown for the sake of his mother, who unlike her son seemed quite friendly.

And since all the adults were divided into groups of men and women, and were talking to each other, Dora, Harry, Fleur and I also decided to form our own group.

And the four of us then started talking about random subjects and various typical teenage topics, and in the meantime we also watched Cele and Gabi, who were playing together in front of us.

And that's how time passed, with me and my fellow champions spending some more time with our families.

And before we knew it the afternoon came to an end, and with the end of the afternoon and the arrival of night we heard the bell ring, signaling that the task was about to begin and that everyone should head to the Quidditch pitch.

And realizing that the meeting time was over, my parents, Cele, Nick and Penny came to give me one last hug, wishing me luck in the third task.

And after we, the four champions, said goodbye to our families, we separated from them.

And all of our families headed to the Quidditch pitch to get their seats in the stands, joining all of the other guests, students, and school staff.

And meanwhile Harry, Krum, Fleur and I also went towards the Quidditch pitch, but we took a different path that led us to a tent prepared for us that was next to the pitch.

And walking outside the castle towards that tent I noticed that it was getting dark and that the stars were already starting to appear in the sky along with the moon, which shone fascinatingly.

'Tonight really is a perfect night to do a macabre ritual' I thought, feeling the tension and danger growing in the air.

And I couldn't tell if I was feeling this because of the emotions of the hundreds of people who were here to watch the tournament, or if this was the magic itself reacting and warning me of today's dangers.

'Actually maybe I'm just feeling my own feelings' I sighed, before shaking my head and continuing to walk, seeing a large tent appear a little further ahead.

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After Fleur, Harry, Krum and I arrived in front of the tent we were greeted by Professor McGonagall and Madam Pomfrey, with the matron immediately taking us inside to give us a quick medical check-up.

And while this medical evaluation was taking place, Professor McGonagall began to explain some things to us, talking about the basic rules of the task and what we should expect from it.

And she also told us that teachers would be patrolling outside the maze ready to help us if needed, saying that we would just need to cast a spark or firework spell in the sky and someone would appear.

And even after Professor McGonagall's explanation ended and Madam Pomfrey finished her medical assessment, we still had to wait in the tent for a while longer.

And after about 5 minutes of waiting, when everyone had arrived at the Quidditch pitch and taken their places in the stands, and the tournament organizers had finished preparing everything, we were finally allowed to go to the Quidditch pitch as well.

"Uh, I don't think I've ever seen this place this crowded before," Harry commented as we entered the Quidditch pitch, looking around at the stands full of people with a surprised and apprehensive look.

And I, who was also looking around, nodded, "There are probably twice as many people here as there were in the last two tasks," I said.

And this was not supposed to be a surprise, since among the three tasks this was the most important, both because it was the last one and because it was the one that would decide which champion and school would be the winners of the tournament.

Furthermore, because this was the decisive and final task of the tournament, the Headmaster Dumbledore decided to open the gates of Hogwarts, allowing anyone who wanted to watch the tournament to enter the castle.

And it was for these reasons that the stands were full, because in addition to the students, school staff, and important guests, there were also students' parents, photographers and journalists, wizards and witches from all over Great Britain, and even some wizards and witches from France and Norway.

"Tell me, I'm not the only one among us who's feeling nervous with all these people staring at us, am I?" Fleur asked with an anxious look as she pursed her lips.

"You can be sure you're not the only one," Harry replied with a snort that didn't hide his nervousness.

And I didn't answer because I didn't really care or mind the stares from the people in the stands, and Krum didn't say anything either because... Well, because he was Krum.

But even though he didn't say anything, his almost comical frown and rigid posture revealed his true feelings.

"Don't worry about people staring at us," I started to say, causing Fleur and Harry to look at me.

"We are the champions chosen by the Goblet of Fire, which means that magic itself chose us, among dozens of students, to represent our schools in this competition."

"And if even magic recognizes that we are the best witches and wizards of our generation, then we should not care about other people's looks, opinions and expectations."

"So, knowing that, I want you guys to just focus on what you have to do and try to do your best on the task, okay?" I finished calmly, looking at my two friends.

And hearing my words of encouragement the Boy-Who-Lived and the French Veela felt feelings of confidence and determination rise up within them.

And deciding to follow what I said they nodded at me, before looking forward and taking a deep breath, now focused only on completing the task.

And I could feel that after that their troubled and distressed emotions had calmed down, at least a little.

And even Krum, who pretended not to hear me but was paying attention to what I said, was less nervous.

'It's amazing how just a few words can bring someone's confidence and courage back' I thought with a small satisfied smile as I looked at Fleur and Harry, who had determined looks on their faces while their steps were more confident and steady.

And it was with this more positive feeling that we crossed the rest of the Quidditch pitch and arrived in front of the entrance to the maze, where Bagman was waiting for us.

"And here they are! The brilliant, brave, daring, and incredible champions of the Tri-Wizard Tournament!" Bagman announced as we stopped in front of him, with the people in the stands cheering and shouting excitedly.

And knowing that now would be the moment when Bagman would put on a great show for the audience, I decided to ignore him, returning my attention to the maze.

'Uh, Bagman wasn't kidding when he said the hedges would grow taller with a little more time,' I thought, looking up at the walls of hedges that reached heights of over 10 meters.

But as I looked up at the top of the walls I noticed something shining above the maze, 'Huh? What's that?' I wondered as I narrowed my eyes.

And using my enhanced vision I could see that this shiny thing was actually a small, fist-sized mirror that was reflecting the lights from the stands.

And actually it wasn't just one mirror, but several small mirrors that were floating, scattered throughout the maze.

'Huh? Why the hell are there mirrors floating above the maze?' I blinked in confusion, sensing a magic in the mirrors that wasn't just from the levitation spell.

End.

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